Fog hits Sankranti travellers; chain of accidents on Hyd outskirts

The situation came just after a two-day warning issued on Saturday by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Hyderabad, cautioning of fog/mist conditions that would ‘very likely’ prevail in all districts of Telangana.

Hyderabad: For the first time in the recent past, thick fog led to poor visibility on the outskirts of Hyderabad, triggering a chain of accidents on National Highway-44 leading to Bengaluru. Most of those involved in the accidents were those on Sankranti vacation trips.

Incidentally, the situation came just after a two-day warning issued on Saturday by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Hyderabad, cautioning of fog/mist conditions that would ‘very likely’ prevail in all districts of Telangana. The warning was for Saturday and Sunday. The IMD predicted that the situation was likely to continue for the rest of the week, with fog/mist in the mornings and clear skies later in the day.

The thick fog, which hung around well past 9 am, led to poor visibility and triggered long snarls on both NH-44 and NH-65 leading to Vijayawada. On NH-44, three accidents were reported, all of vehicles ramming those ahead of them due to poor visibility. Two persons were injured and 14 vehicles damaged in the accidents, which occurred on the stretch from Kothur to Nandigama. Four cars, two buses, two trucks and two auto-trolleys were among those damaged in the mishaps, which occurred around 7.15 am.

The condition, precarious for travelers, also prompted a rare cautionary message from the Cyberabad police, with Commissioner VC Sajjanar releasing three advisory videos, asking people to plan their journeys during the day to avoid ‘fog’-related incidents. “It is better to avoid travelling at night or early in the morning,” Sajjanar said.

The snarls were reported from Friday night itself, with long queues of vehicles seen at Panthangi toll plaza on NH-65 and Gudur toll plaza on the Hyderabad-Warangal Highway.